Baku - Azerbaijan 2 - 3 October 2001

The TIR Executive Board and the TIR secretariat, in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Baku and the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan organize a Regional TIR Seminar for countries of the Caucasus, Black Sea Region and the Central Asia which will be held in Baku (Azerbaijan) on 2 and 3 October 2001.

The Seminar will be held by senior experts of the UNECE TIR secretariat with the participation of high-level officials from Customs administrations of some Western European countries sharing with the participants their experience in the application of the TIR Convention during the last 25 years.

The TIR Seminar is designed to address senior officials in Customs administrations responsible for Customs policy and Customs transit procedures. The Seminar is however also open to concerned senior officials in other Ministries, such as the Ministries of Transport, Economy, Commerce and Trade as well as to representatives of the private sector who are involved in Customs transit procedures (national associations of road carriers, Chambers of Commerce, freight forwarders and/or Customs brokers). The International Road Transport Union (IRU), backing up the TIR Customs transit procedure, will also participate in the Seminar.

Attached please find a first provisional programme of the Seminar. More detailed information on the programme of the Seminar, administrative arrangements and on the participating experts will become available in early September. Each participant will be given a free copy of the latest edition of the TIR Handbook. At the end of the Seminar, certificates of attendance will be distributed to all participants. English and Russian will be working languages of the seminar. Full simultaneous interpretation into/from these languages will be provided to allow for easy understanding and efficient discussions.

Participation in the Seminar is free of charge for registered participants. Participants are however expected to cover their own travel costs, accommodation and other personal expenses. Each participant at the Seminar must register with the UNECE TIR secretariat prior to the Seminar using a copy of the attached TIR Seminar Registration Form. This form should be returned to the UNECE TIR secretariat as soon as possible.

Some block bookings have been made for Seminar participants at the Conference hotel in Baku at special rates. In order to profit from these rates, participants should sent the attached Hotel Reservation Form directly to the Crescent Beach Hotel in Baku as soon as possible, but not later than 15 September 2001.